Texas Tech star tailback Tahj Brooks still contemplating Liberty Bowl status

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

The most wondered about unanswered question of Friday’s AutoZone Liberty Bowl between Texas Tech (8-4) and Arkansas (6-6) remained just that a day before the game.

Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire, who will be without both injured starting quarterback Behren Morton and leading wide receiver and opt out Josh Kelly, was still not offering up whether leading rusher Tahj Brooks will be involved in the 6 p.m. contest in Memphis.

Brooks rushed for 1,505 yards and 17 touchdowns this season and 3,046 yards over the past two campaigns on a whopping 576 carries.

“I’d say it’s 50/50,” McGuire said Thursday in Memphis. “I’m letting him totally decide that…He’s practiced every single day, and I told him, I said ‘hey, it’s up to you, what you want to do. If you want to play in it, let’s go. If not, we’ve got two young running backs.

“…And I think Tahj, to me, everything he’s done for Texas Tech, he’s earned the right to make that decision. I don’t really panic about it because those other two guys have played all year long, and so if he tells me ‘coach, I’m ready to roll’. I’ll pat him on the butt and say ‘let’s go’.

“If he says, ‘coach, let the young guys go’, I’ll give him a hug and say ‘alright, well settle these guys down because they’re going to be really excited’.”

Texas Tech freshman signal caller Will Hammond will get his first college start at quarterback.

Hammond was 15 of 23 passing for 191 yards this season while playing in three games.

“It won’t look any different,” McGuire said of his offense. “He has been our number two all year. We played another young man earlier in the season, but if it came down to trying to win a football game, Will woulda gone in. Luckily we didn’t have to burn his redshirt or anything like that.

“He’s different. I have not been around many guys that are 18 years old and prepares like he does. He is the building as much as any one of my vets and he has a very high IQ and a high care factor. The players love him and he is a guy that gravitate to.

“I feel really good about what he is going to do with the offense and we are going to let him do and run everything we have.”

Arkansas will also be missing several weapons on offense, but will have quarterback Taylen Green, a player former Texas high school coach McGuire is very familiar with from years ago.

“He played at a great program – Lewisville, the Fighting Farmers,” McGuire said. “He played for a great head coach and I remember him in high school. I was at Baylor when he first came out and we wanted him, but he went to Boise State

“…I was fired up when he went to Arkansas. I am a big fan of (Arkansas head) Coach (Sam) Pittman and his culture, the way he treats his players and what believes in. So I know he is playing for a great man.

“He is going to be tough. He is a really good football player, does a great job with his arm, but when things break down he can be real creative with his legs. We have got to be really aware of what he is going to do – especially on third down and fourth down and moving the sticks. Great player.”

McGuire is allowing Red Raiders that have entered the transfer portal to play in the Liberty Bowl.

“You know, I guess I’m a lot different than everybody else,” McGuire said. “I take every single year as its own year. I mean, we’re going to have guys committed to other places that are in the portal, that are going to play in the game tomorrow.

“We had a young man who caught a touchdown pass in the bowl game who was committed to another place, and played there this year. I think every single year, these guys have earned the right to play in this game, and so we’ve got guys like that.”

McGuire is hoping for a large crowd in a battle between two former Southwest Conference foes.

“I hope so,” McGuire said. “I hope that thing is packed. I hope you hear a lot of “Woo Pig Sooie” and a lot of “Raider Power.” It’ll be really cool. 
  
“…This is an old Southwest Conference battle. This is like some cool stuff.”

McGuire does expect more Razorback fans because of proximity to Arkansas, but plenty of his team’s fans as well.

“I know the Red Raiders are going to show up,” McGuire said. “ It’ll be cool if it’s a hostile environment and really, really loud. I do think this is going to be an entertaining game.”

Photo courtesy of Texas Tech